Nyanda won’t testify ... yet

Despite being a casualty of the 2010 Cabinet reshuffle by former president Jacob Zuma, which paved the way for firm relations between the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Gupta family, ANC war veteran General Siphiwe Nyanda does not yet intend approaching the inquiry into state capture with evidence. “I would not like to waste the commission’s time at this stage as it is not something I have yet considered,” he told The Citizen yesterday. According to the the Sunday Times, Nyanda, who refused attempts by the Guptas to meet him, was fired by Zuma as minister of communications to make way for Roy Padayachie – a close ally of the family. During Padayachie’s reign, Atul Gupta and Sahara Computers were given special recognition by the department, with former SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng signing a broadcast agreement for The New Age newspaper business breakfasts at no cost to the Guptas. “We realised that we were the first victims of state capture,” said Nyanda. – Citizen reporter